Moving Backwards
by andthenyouwokeup
Summary: Hermione and Draco broke up exactly eight months, one week, six days, and three hours ago, but at a party thrown by the Malfoy's a secret is exposed that changes all that. [Chapter 3 up!]
1. The Truth

Title: Moving Backwards  
Author: Ash  
Disclaimer: It's all mine! All of it! j/k, J.K.  
Ship: Draco/Hermione  
Author's Note: Here's Moving Backwards, a story I thought up, that I love, and that I have no idea where I'm going with. Enjoy!

* * *

**Moving Backwards**

"Bloody fucking Hell."

Ron Weasley looked down at his female counterpart and tsk-ed.

"Hermione. What have I told you about that dirty mouth of yours?"

"That it makes the boys randy for my sex—"

"That it's unsuited for a lady of your stature," Ron interrupted with a glare. "Besides...we're working for my sex tonight, remember?"

Hermione tossed her formally up-done mane, laughing heartily. "Ah, yes..." she licked her index fingers and thumbs and proceeded to pick at his hair, "I promise you an exciting night Ronniekins!"

Swatting her away and going to the oval, gilded mirror on the other side of the hall outside the Main Ballroom of Malfoy Manor, Ron fixed his flaming locks.

"Ron...you look fine! The fellahs will be beggin' for your sex! Now can we please just go in and get this over with?" Hermione tapped her foot and waited by the door.

After a little last minute feathering, Ron joined her and guided her left arm through his right. "You'll be fine, you know. He's no big deal."

With an unconvinced look, Hermione sighed and said, "C'mon..."

The doors opened majestically as they stepped forward and revealed a wondrous Hall clad in decorations of greens, silver, and black. At a leveled dais toward the front sat Mister Draco Malfoy, sipping champagne and speaking to Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"I can't do this."

"Hermione," Ron started, frustrated, "'Can't' is one of those words that you use that you don't really know the meaning of. Now stop it and go work that dress!"

"Ronald! Hermione, dear!" Molly Weasley made her way to the couple, her husband Arthur trailing leisurely behind. "Hermione you're positively glowing, love, that dress is so fight on you, it's wonderful," turning her attention to her son she said, "Ronald, can't you do anything with that hair? It's far too long!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Mum my hair's fine, now if you'll excuse me I...need a drink..." he ran off to the refreshments table, and Hermione watched as he strategically began chatting up Blaise Zabini.

"Hermione we've got seats at our table if you'd like to join us," suggested Arthur. Hermione nodded and followed the two of them to across the room.

All the big-wigs of the ministry were at the party, and either drunk beyond comprehension or swirling in seemingly choreographed circles on the dance floor. Hermione was neither.

She was sitting and enjoying the view of all the happy people. Ron noticed her off by herself and immediately took on his role as best friend, leaving Blaise behind and heading to her side.

"Having fun?"

"No not really to be perfectly honest."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said while extending a hand, "Dance with me?"

"Oh I don't know Ron," she began to protest, "My feet hurt and I'm awful tired—"

"Hermione..."

"Oh fine," she said using her chair to stand and straightening her dress, "but only because it's you."

Ron lead the way as Hermione tagged along to the floor. He carefully and skillfully placed his hands in the appropriate spots and they started to sway back and forth to the beat of the music.

"This isn't all that bad, is it?"

"This?" Hermione repeated. "This is great, me and you are fine, but—"

"You and him are—"

"Not." Hermione sighed. "As long as he doesn't come anywhere near me, I'll be—"

"May I cut in?"

And there stood Draco Malfoy in all of his lethal glory. He didn't wait for Ron to say 'No' or belt him in the jaw, he just scooped Hermione into his arms and moved her swiftly away from Ron, who found himself locked in conversation with Lavender Brown.

"Get away from me!"

"Hermione, love, what kind of host would I be if I didn't attend to all my guests?"

"I'll attend you, you wanker! Let go of me!" Draco let Hermione go, but only until he had taken her into another, more private, section of the room. She tried immediately to get away, but he stood in front of her; she moved to the left and to the right, he moved with her.

"Leave me alone Malfoy, I can't handle this right now!"

"You can't handle it? I'll tell you what I can't handle...I can't handle all the people coming up to me and asking me what's been wrong with you these past few months when they know good and well that we've broken up! I can't handle the way you keep staring at me--as if I were fucking Voldemort himself!"

"Malfoy—"

"No, you just listen!" Draco shouted, his movements becoming frantic. "I'm sick of all this! Everyone makes you out to be the victim—is that what you've been telling them? That I broke your little heart?"

"Malfoy..."

"I should Obliterate them all right now, then, and tell them the truth, eh?"

"DRACO!"

"WHAT?" Draco stopped pacing and turned to face Hermione who was leaning with one hand propped against a nearby wall and breathing erratically. "Oh God...what the Hell Hermione?"

"I...I think my water just broke..."

Draco stood immobile and dumbfounded. "You aren't pregnant, Hermione."

With a quick wave of the wand she pulled from out under her skin tight dress, Hermione's stomach began to expand and strain her seams.

"Am so...OW! UUuuhhh!"

"Well, what do I do!"

"Maybe you could--unnnngg," Hermione tried, "Damnit Malfoy, get me to a fucking hospital or you're going to have some mess to clean up! Now help me!"

Draco did help her, all the way to the closest fireplace and they floo-ed to St. Mungo's, for Hermione to have her baby.

* * *

Ending Note: Okay, that's it! The end of chapter one, I mean. Tell me what you think!

Ash


	2. Hello Again

Hola! Haven't updated in forever and a few days, so...yeah! Here I am! Alive, and sort of well, updating while I take a break from the rigors that are Senior year of high school.

Enjoy! Ash.

* * *

**Moving Backwards**

**_Draco did help her, all the way to the closest fireplace and they floo-ed to St. Mungo's, for Hermione to have her baby._**

_The Birth_

The fireplace from Malfoy Manor led Hermione and Draco to the Maternity Ward in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

"Nurse!" Draco called frantically. "NURSE!" He squirmed around a bit, trying to hold up Hermione who was 'heehee-hoh'ing like a pro.

"Can I help you?" An overweight, grey-haired woman crooned, appearing out of nowhere. She looked from Draco to Hermione. "Oh dear!" She slipped away and showed up seconds later, careening toward the two of them with a wheelchair.

Hermione sat, clutching her stomach and wincing. "I'm early! I'm not due for two weeks!"

"Two weeks..." Draco repeated absently.

"Well, I'd say your contractions are about five--"

"EEEEEahhhhhh!"

"...three minutes apart. You're having this baby now!"

Draco was jogging to keep up with the old woman, obviously used to these sorts of rush-before-she-pops situations. He looked at Hermione's face. It was beet-red and scrunched up, while tears were flowed out of her slits-for-eyes.

The three of them raced down the hall and met Ron, Arthur, and Molly Weasley just outside the double doors marked "Delivery Room."

"Mione! Lavender saw the whole thing! I rushed over as fast as I could when I heard!" Ron sent a look to Draco so fierce that nobody even heard Hermione say, "Bloody Brown and her bloody mouth--Ireland and half of England probably know by now--bloody tart," or if they did they chose to ignore it and put it in the 'Birth Pains' box.

"Hermione, dear, are you alright? Do you need anything?"

Usually Hermione was all but content to be polite, but another contraction rocked her body she spat, to no one in particular, "YES! I'd _like_ to get this demon-child _out_ of me--that's what I'd like!"

The nurse edged forward, but stopped when both Ron and Draco did the same.

"Only one of you in, I'm afraid..."

Ron built himself to full height, a whopping six foot four. "Stand down, Malfoy."

"I don't think so Weasley."

"Hermione's my best friend. This isn't your place."

Draco looked abashed. "Isn't--isn't my place! I'm the fucking _father_, aren't I?"

Hermione gathered all her pain into one burning glare. "Says who?"

Draco composed himself. "As you said you're due in two weeks; you and I were together eight months ago. You're above infidelity, Granger, don't try to convince me otherwise. Now move Weasley before I--"

"What? Make empty threats?"

"I'll clock you one!"

"I'd like you see you try!"

"_Gentlemen_," the nurse intervened acidly, letting them know she didn't think they were gentlemen at all, "that is enough."

Several silent, but not really because Hermione was whimpering, minutes passed before Draco stepped back and said, "Just go, Weasley." He sunk uncomfortably into a chair in the Waiting Room. "I'll be right here," he added more for his own sake than Hermione's.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance until Hermione's morphed into a grimace and she was pushed to the Delivery Room.

Draco loosened his tie as he watched her and Ron exit, thinking only one thing:

Thank Merlin my father's dead.

* * *

It was minutes or hours before Draco woke up to the sensation of being shaken after a night's sleep in a hard chair. He was less than thrilled to find last night had not been a dream, that Hermione is, or was pregnant, and that he had gotten his best dress robes all rumpled. 

"Mister Malfoy?" Molly Weasley tested, "We can go see the baby now..."

Draco pulled himself up awkwardly and trudged behind Molly.

Hermione's room was pink and smelled like the inside of a medi-potion bottle, Draco noted.

What he saw next was Hermione sitting up in her bed, her hair drenched with sweat and her eyes tired. In both her hands, very carefully, she held a child-his child-their child. Draco straightened up.

She was smiling and letting out light, tired chuckles at every goofy face Ron made for the benefit of the baby, whose eyes were hardly opened anyway, while he sat on the side of her bed. Her eyes moved upward and she smiled a bit wider and a bit forced.

"Hello, Draco."

"Hello, Hermione."

* * *

Liked it? Tell me! Review, please!

**TEASER**

**_"So...I'm the father, then?" Draco didn't chance looking up._**

**_"It would seem--"_**

**_"No."_**

Ash


	3. The Day After That

Title: Moving Backwards  
Author: Ash  
Disclaimer: It's all Rowling's. And I'm not Rowling. Therefore: It's not mine.  
Ship: Draco/Hermione  
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone that reviewed I really appreciate it! But you didn't review because you liked my author's note, so on with the story!

* * *

**Moving Backwards**

"_**Hello Hermione."**_

"_**Hello Draco."**_

_The Day After That_

"Draco," Ron said authoritatively, "I was wondering if I could have a moment with you outside, to talk."

"What's it's name?" Draco asked, ignoring Ron and leaning in to Hermione.

"_Her_ name is Madison Ashleigh." A girl, Draco thought, every Malfoy firstborn has always been a boy. Maybe she's not mine after all. But a look at the tiny thing's form put that argument to rest. Draco was sure he'd heard somewhere that babies' eyes are always grey/blue for the first few weeks, even so hers were the spitting image of his and he'd bet his fortune they'd never change. Also, moving to the top of her head, underneath the blanket she was wrapped in could be seen gloriously fine, white-blond hairs sprouting from.

It was all quiet in the small room, wonderful silence until…

"So...I'm the father, then?" Draco didn't chance looking up.

Hermione started, her voice weighing with emotion, "It would seem--"

"No," she looked at Ron, puzzled. "Draco, there's no denying, what with all the evidence," He gestured to Madison, "that you got Hermione pregnant."

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley tried.

Ron ignored her. "But I have been with Hermione since the beginning of this thing. I've held her hair back through morning sickness, I've partnered with her through Lamaze, brought her whatever food she was craving. Where have you been? Living it up in your fancy mansion bedding girl upon girl? How many children you must have already that you don't know about, Malfoy!"

"That's enough!" Hermione said, and Madison began to cry. "Oh, look what you've all done…" she said, cradling the girl and cooing to her until she calmed. The nurse came along and put the baby down to sleep.

"Now," Hermione said, "We're all going to be as civilized as possible. Once I wake up. Please, if you'll all excuse me, I'm extremely tired…all this ex-lovers and childbirth in one day, I should really cut down." No one laughed.

"Alright, you heard her, everyone out," the old nurse said, corralling them out the door. When they'd all left she turned to Hermione, "Quite a mess you've got, dear."

Hermione turned over to face the wall and silent tears streamed from out her eyes. "I know…"

* * *

As the door closed and Hermione was on the other side of it, Draco turned to Ron and said, "Listen Weasley—"

But he hadn't had a chance to say anything else because Ron had punched him square in the nose and knocked him out.

* * *

Draco woke up hours later to the sound of singing. He sat up and decided that of all the priceless paintings he'd seen in his life, nothing was more beautiful than Hermione rocking their child.

But, being Draco Malfoy, he managed to fuck it up. "Where the hell is Weasel?"

Hermione stopped, jolted, then looked back down at her baby girl. "You Slytherins and your revenge…"

"You Gryffindors and your bloody recklessness!" he yelled. Madison stirred.

"Draco, not now—"

"When, then?" he said much more softly, moving from his bed to sit next to her on hers. "When can we talk about this like mature adults?"

"When we've become them."

"Hermione, I mean it, why did you leave me if you knew you were pregnant? Did you know?"

"Of course I knew," she said, "I left you _because_ I was pregnant."

Draco blanched, "I don't understand…"

"Draco, we were young, we still are! I just…didn't think you could handle it. The night I found out we got into a fight," she looked at the baby instead. "It was then I knew that we were never supposed to have been together in the first place, and adding a baby to the mix was just going to complicate that and give her a terrible environment to be raised in. No child deserves that. Where are you going?"

Draco had stood and was walking toward the door. "I'm going to look for Weasley."

"He just feels rejected, Draco, don't hold it against him." Hermione wordlessly wished she could make Draco stay.

"Oh please, Hermione," Draco said with one hand turning the doorknob, "Harry Potter has been dead for years." And he walked out, letting the door slam and waking Madison.

"Hush, baby, he'll be back…"

* * *

Ending Note: Hmmm…do I like this? Convince me! Review!

Ash


End file.
